Method and apparatus for weaving axminster pile fabrics



Aug. 18, 1942. E. 1. PETERSEN 2,293,075

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEAVING AXMINSTER FILE FABRICS Filed Feb. 19, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTO RNE 'Y Aug; 1942- E. PETERSEN 2293,075

METHOD AND APPARATUS FORWEAVING AXMIN ST ER FILE FABRICS Filed Feb. 19, 1940 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' N VENTO R a ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, '1942 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEAVING AXBIINSTER PILE FABRICS Elliott I. Petersen,

Bigelow- Sanford Enfield, Conn., assignor to Carpet 00., Inc., Thompsonville, Conn., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 19, 1940, Serial No. 319,734

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in Axminster looms and in methods of weaving Axminster pile fabrics. Its object is to weave an Axminster fabric in such a way, and with mechanism no more complicated than that of the conventional Axminster loom, that the tuft yarns are drawn tightly and snugly around the holding weft shot and that the ends of the tufts formed by turning up the depending legs do not slip when the tuft tubes are raised and thereby are inevitably of a predetermined height and hence need not be trimmed. As a result of my invention I am able to increase considerably either the depth of pile tufts or the number of tufts and hence yards of fabric obtained from a given length of pile yarn.

Other objects and advantages of my invention Will appear from a detailed description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of an Axminster loom embodying my invention;

Figs. 1a and 1b are perspective details of parts of the comb put-out cam;

Figs. 2 to 6 are sectional elevations diagrammatically illustrating successive positions of the elements involved in carrying out my invention;

Fig. 7 illustrates a three-shot Axminster weave and Fig. 8 is a timing diagram of the movements of certain of the parts.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the loom Of my invention has, generally speaking, the usual weaving instrumentalities, namely, a lay I with its reed 2, harnesses 3 for guiding and shifting the warps 4, a breast and back knives 6 and 1 for cutting the tufts, and tuft yarn carrying and inserting mechanism, including chains 9 and tube frames l having spools H and tuft tubes l2.

The tube frame transferring mechanism 30 pivoted at 30a is connected by rod 28 to a pivoted lever 26 having a cam follower 26a which rides on lift cam 24. The tube frames are dipped during wipe in by means of linkage 29, 21 and 25, the latter of which carries cam follower 25a riding on dip cam 23.

The lay I, pivoted on rock shaft nected by link I02 to the usual pivoted lever carrying cam follower I04 engaging reed cam I06 having the three points l06a, 106?) and I060 which beat up the lay three times per loom cycle. 1

i The comb 8 is actuated by linkage which is cam operated for put-out and put-up movelllll, is conbeam 5, a cutter consisting of front so as to turn the depending position to full line ments. Thus, for the put-up movement, the

comb carrier I08 is pivoted to rod H0 connected to one arm 2| of a bellcrank lever, the other arm l9 of which is connected by rod I! to lever l6 having follower I6a riding on cam H6 and urged against the cam by tension spring H4.

The put-out comb movement is effected by lever 22 which is fixed to the comb carrier I03 and also pivoted to lever 20 rotatably mounted on stud shaft H6. Clockwise movement of lever 20 is urged by a torsion spring diagrammatically indicated at H8 and this movement is limited by a stop I20 fixed to the frame. Lever 20 is pivoted to rod I8 which is .pivoted to lever l5 carrying cam follower l5a periodically received within, and actuated by, the members I200. and l20b of a put-out cam, illustrated in detail in Figs. 1a and 1b respectively.

Except as hereinafter stated, all of the loom instrumentalities above described may beof conventional construction and operation and hence require no further explanation.

My invention is illustrated as applied to an Axminster loom weaving a pile fabric, Fig. 7,

in which there is a stuffer warp A and binder warps B and C. In each cycle the needle is reciprocated three times, on each shot laying a double strand of weft in the appropriate shed designated at a, b and c, weft b being th tuft holding weft.

Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the parts after the weft a has been beaten up by the reed 2, the warps have crossed, the reed is back and the tube frame has laid in the tuft yarns t extending from the tubes I 2. The tube frame with its attached tubes has been lifted from dotted line position to complete the Wipe-in in the well known manner, and the needle 32 is inserting the holding weft b. Fig. 3 shows the reed beating up the holding weft b against the tuft yarns depending from the tube frame which, due to the dwells on cams 23 and 24, remains stationary whil the reed beats up this weft. The warps are crossing and are substantially parallel to each other.

According to my invention the tube frame is not now lifted to draw off any ofthe yarn for the next succeeding tufts.

Fig. 4 shows the reed 2 fell and the warps crossing. The tube frame is still in the same position as in Fig. 3. The comb 8 has moved rearward (by engagement of cam part |20a with follower I5a) and upward (by engagement of follower Ilia with cam rise I It) ends of the tufts retreating from the rearward and upward around the holding weft. As follower l5a leaves cam portion mm the comb moves forward and by spring H8 presses the tufts firmly against the holding weft while the tube frame still remains stationary.

Fig. 5 shows the comb still pressed tightly against the tuft yarns and the holding weft. The tube frame [2 with its spools and tubes is now being raised by cam 24, the usual brakes (not shown) on the spools putting the tuft yarns.

under tension, Preferably the brakes prevent rotation of the spool during th initial portion of the lift so that the tension on the tuft yarns t is sufficient to draw them up. between the holding weft and the fell and tightly and, snugly around the holding weft.

Because the tuft yarns are held tightly by the comb against the holding weft and are also snubbed around that weft, the tension of the draw off is insufficient to cause the tuft yarns to slip between the comb and. the holding weft. Consequently, the turned up ends of the tufts are all of substantially the same height and, as the tufts are tight about the holding weft, the maximum tuft height is obtained from a given length of yarn.

The knives 6 and i then operate to cut yarns t depending from the tubes.

Fig. 6 shows the tuft yarns having been cut, the comb being withdrawn, the weft c laid in the newly formed shed, the reed beatingup this weft, and the tube frame being carried up to the chain. The knives have been fully withdrawn. This completes the" cycle in the weaving of a threeweft Axminster loom.

In Fig. 8 I have indicated the complete cycle by plotting, against 0 to 360 degrees of loom shaft angularity, curve 200 of the lay motion, curve 2010f the needle motion, curve. ZM-of the comb put-out motion as effected-by cams IZEJaand I021), curve 206 of the comb put-upmotion effected by cam H0, and curve 208 of the tube frame lift movement effected by cam 24. The three peaks of. curve 203 beat-ups of the lay per cycle. On. curve 2M I have indicated the shuttle end of the needle traverse, the line at which the needle enters the shed and the overtravel out of the shed. As shown by curve the chain enters thewarps at 2), after which it is elevated slightly to point 212, corresponding to the position of Fig. 3 where the wipe-in is completed and the tube frame is at rest just clear of the beat-up path of the reed. The tube frame is then motionless during the second beatup of the reed at 240 and until the comb has turned up the tuft legs and is pressing them against the holding weft after which the com plete draw-off occurs, indicatedby the. rise 2H5. After the draw-off the tube frame pauses for the cut, and is then returned to the'chain.

In a pile fabric woven in accordance with my invention, the turned up ends-of the pile tufts are invariable in height so that it is not necessary to trim 01f the ends'to eventhem and I thereby avoid the waste that would be caused by such trimming. I have accomplished this by drawing off the yarn only after" the tuftshave been turned up and while they are being held by the comb (rather than prior to turning up) so that the tension on the yarn, resulting from the draw-off, is effective only to tighten the tufts about the holding weft andnot to vary the height of the ends that are turned up. Such tightening also produces the maximum amount of tuft the tuft designate the three:

208 the tube frame taken from.

height and hence yards of fabric from a given length of pile yarn.

My invention is also advantageous in that it permits shorter over-travel of the needle out of the shed in looms in which each of the three needle motions forming a cycle of operation occupies one-third of the cycle as indicated in Fig. 8. Thus in my loom, the reed does not dwell in its forward position after beating up the holding weft because it does not need to dwell to hold the yarn during draw off. On the contrary, the reed is withdrawn immediately following its beat up, so that the needle may be started earlier on its next pick.

Moreover, in a loom embodying my invention the drawing off of the tuft yarns may be accomplished more steadily and with less jerkiness and strain because it may be done more slowly than in looms in which the draw off is against the reed. By effecting the complete draw off against the comb, as in my loom, the draw off movement need not be hurried to accommodate retraction of the reed in time for insertion of the following weft shot.

I have described my invention in connection with a three-weft Axminster loom, but it is obvious that by suitable modification it is applicable as well to two or four weft Axminster looms.

I claim:

1. A three-shot Axminster loom which includes in combination a reed, a reed cam having three peaks, each arranged to beat up the reed, pile yarn carrying tube frames, tube frame lift mechanism arranged and effective to wipe in a tube frame after the first beat of the reed, to hold the tube frame stationary against vertical movement during the second beat and to raise it to draw off yarn in an amount equalto a full tuft length in one continuous movement while the reed is back after the second beat and before the third beat, a comb, and-means'actuating the comb to turn up the depending tuft'legs after said second beat of the reed and prior to said draw off movement of the tube frame and to hold the turned up legs during saiddraw off movement.

2. The loom as defined in claim 1 in which each of the said peaks of the reed cam is so sharp as to beat up the reed without dwell in the-beatup position. e

3. The method of weaving an- Axminster fabric which includes the steps of presenting a supply of pile-forming tufts in depending position at the fell of the fabric, thereafter; while the-supply is held stationary against vertical movement from saidposition, beating up a weft against the tufts by advancing and retracting the reed, and, while the reed is back after said beat-up and the supply is still stationary, turning the depending tufts rearwardly and upwardly around said weft, and thereafter drawing off a full tuft length by elevating said supply in a single continuous movement through a distance at-least equal to said full tuft length-while pressing the upturned tuft ends against said weft.

4. The method of weaving an Axminster-fabric which includes the steps of presenting a supply of depending, pile-forming tufts to the fell of the fabric, holding the supply and tufts stationary against vertical movement while beating a weft against the tufts by advancing and retracting the reed without dwell in the beat-up position and subsequently, while the supply'is still-held stationary, engaging the dependingtuftsand advancing them rearwardly and upwardly around said weft, and finally drawing off yarn from said supply in an amount equal to a full tuft length in one continuous drawing-off operation while pressing the upturned tuft ends against said weft.

5. The method of weaving an Axminster fabric which includes the steps of wiping in each tube frame to predetermined position just clear of the beat-up path of the reed thereby presenting its depending tuft ends adjacent the fell of the fabric, holding the tube frame, so wiped in, stationary against vertical movement from said position while inserting a weft, beating it to the fell and, after said beat-up, advancing the comb with a rearward and upward movement to turn up the tuft ends, thereafter moving the comb forward while in said upward position to press the turned up tufts against the weft, raising the tube frame to effect a complete draw-off in one continuous movement while the tufts are 50 held against said weft, and advancing the knives through a predetermined path to cut off the yarn.

V vertically 6. The method as defined in claim 5 in which the said wipe-in movement of the tube frame presents the depending ends of the tufts at such depth that when turned up they are below said predetermined path of the knives.

7 The method of weaving an Axminster fabric which includes the steps of laying tuft yarns through the warps and immediately behind a weft at the fell, inserting a holding weft behind the depending tuft yarns and beating it up against them, subsequently engaging the ends of the yarns and turning them rearwardly and upwardly around the holding weft, pressing the turned up ends forwardly against the holding weft and simultaneously tightening the yarns about the holding weft by drawing upwardly on their ends opposite those turned up, subsequently drawing off yarn for the next succeeding tufts and finally cutting off the yarn, the length of said yarn drawn off being equal to the length cut off.

ELLIOTT I. PETERSEN. 

